The Stormtrooper Scandal: Behind the Art Wars NFT Collection
The project ran smoothly, but at one point, Moore decided to photograph the helmets and create an NFT series based on these images.
In November 2021, when Moore announced the launch of an NFT project featuring these iconic stormtrooper helmets, it created a buying frenzy in the market.
The Art Wars NFT collection, consisting of 1,138 tokens, was launched in collaboration with the NFT platform Dropspace. The tokens were listed on the major marketplace, OpenSea. The demand was so high that the entire series sold out in five seconds at 0.6 ETH per NFT, making Moore and his partners instant millionaires with a total of 682.8 ETH (over $3 million at the time).
The stormtrooper helmet that became the prototype for the NFT minted by Moore. Source: The Art Newspaper
“We were surprised when a legal claim did not follow,” lawyers from K&L Gates LLP commented.
Due to the resulting scandal, OpenSea quickly removed the collection's listing, and its page was deleted. Consequently, the price of the Art Wars NFT dropped to zero.
The Stormtrooper Scandal is a story of speculation, greed and betrayal that took place on a new digital frontier - an unregulated world where appearances can be deceptive. But was this a scam, or a well-intentioned bid to make a fast fortune that spiralled out of control?ponder the filmmakers.
For instance, we have previously reported on the Hermes versus Rothschild case, where the maker of Birkin bags secured compensation from an NFT artist who minted MetaBirkins NFTs, netting around $1 million.
The story behind the Stormtrooper Scandal in the Art Wars NFT Collection revolves around allegations of unauthorized use of iconic Star Wars imagery. The Art Wars project, which initially gained attention for its creative and unique spin on the Star Wars universe, faced significant backlash when it was revealed that some NFTs featuring Stormtrooper helmets were minted without proper licensing from Lucasfilm, the owners of Star Wars intellectual property. This led to a heated debate within the art and NFT communities about the boundaries of creative expression and intellectual property rights. Accusations of plagiarism and copyright infringement surfaced, causing some prominent artists and collectors to distance themselves from the project. The scandal highlights the ongoing challenges that artists face in navigating the legal complexities of creating and selling NFTs, especially when utilizing well-known pop culture artifacts. Consequently, the Art Wars NFT Collection has become emblematic of the broader issues at the intersection of digital art, NFTs, and intellectual property law.
